Snap-spot marker



Mar. 3,1925. v f 1,528,244

W. E. CARTER SNAP sPoT MARKER Fileauarch 1s, 192s vatented Mar. 3, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

WENA EWIN CARTER, OF WAVERLY, TENNESSEE.

'SNAP-SPOT MARKER.

Application filed March 13,1923. Serial No. 624,871, A

To all whom t may concern.' j

Be it known that I, IVENA EwrN CARTER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Waverly, Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Snap-Spot Markers, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification. Y

This invention relates to snapV spot markers and has for its object to provide a simple, accurate and `readily used means for marking the .positions for the two parts of so-called snaps or ball and socket fasteners, to the end that such parts may be correctly placed on the garment so that they will register with eachother, and to lthe further end that, when a row of such snaps are placed on a garment, as for example on the placket of a dress, they will be disposed at a uniform distance from the edge of the material, whereby puckering of the material may be avoided and the secured surfaces will be held smoothly and easily together.

With these objects in view, the invention consists of means for simultaneously printing on two surfacesfacing eachother, and hence facing in opposite directions, two eX- actly opposite spots whereby the position of the two elements of a snap, to wit, the ball and the socket elements, may be accurately and oppositely located. Preferably, printing faces are formed on the opposite ends of a small piece of chalk yor other suitable material which would print the desir-ed spot or mark on the fabric without injurythereto and which may be readily removed or erased. lVhile any practical printing surfaces may be employed, I shall hereinafter, in specifically describing my invention, refer to said printing faces as being formed of chalk, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this specilicform of printing` surface since any printing surface capable of performing` the function indicated is within the spirit of my invention. 'Ihese oppositely disposed printing surfaces are secured in any suitable support that will enable the printing surfaces to be interposed between the two opposite-ly facing surfaces of the fabric to be marked and, preferably, such support is provided with a scale to the end that, when a row of such spots are printed upon the faces of the fabric, they may be placed at a uniform distance from the edge of the fabric, the scale forming a ready r means for determining the proper distance in from the edge for printing each spot.

Preferably, though not necessarily, a suitable slide is employed in conjunction with said scale, to the end that it may be adjusted along the scale and, when in adjusted position, the edge of the fabric will be brought just to the slide in placing each spot or a row of spots.

The support for the printing element, which as above indicated is preferably a piece of chalk, may be of any suitable character for properly holding the printing element and readily insertable between the two adjacent faces of the fabric to be marked. In the best form of the invention known to me, this support is in the form of two o-ppositely disposed clamping jaws which clamp and engage the printing element, and preferably these jaws are so constructed that normally they tend to Vspring slightly apart to permit the -insertion of the printing element, and means are employed for forcing the jaws into clamping engagement with said element.

In its simplest form, these clamping jaws are made of any suitable strip of resilient material having a kerf cut therein, in which kerf the chalk or other printing element is inserted and the jaws are then brought into clamping engagement with 'said Ielement by means such as a clip slidable longitudinally along-the jaws to bring them into engagement with said printing element. VI prefer to soy construct the strip and the jaws that the same slightly diverge on their outer edges and to mount a sliding clip thereon which, when it is slid along the strip, forces the jaws into engagement with the printing element and leaves the exterior edges of the jaws approximately parallel. Upon the flat faces of the strip, I then place a suitable scale, and the clip embracing the jaws is free to slide along this scale by reason of the fact that its edges are substantially parallel, this sliding of the clip being accomplished without either loosening or further tightening of the jaws upon the printing element. Furthermore, the clip is preferably provided with a projecting shoulder, to the end that the edge of the fabric upon which the printing is to be placed may be brought up against said shoulder and form a stop whereby the 'device may be quickly and accurately Llf) placed in proper position at the exact desired distance from the edge of the fabric.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, one of which, for the purpose of illustrating the invention, is shown in the accorn- .pauying drawings, but I desire it to be eX- pressly understood that such drawings are for the purpose of illustrating the invention only and are not designed to define the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for this purpose.

In said drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of my spot marking device;

Fig. 2 is a p-lan view of the support for the printing element; Y

Fig. 3 is a vertical'transverse section on the line 3--3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing the construction of `the clip Aand Fig. is a plan view illustra-ting the method of using the device in spot marking fabric. j

Referring to said drawin-gs, in which like reference numerals refer to like partsthroughout the several views, 1 indicates a printing element provided with two oppositely disposed printing faces ce and b. As here shown, this printing element is in the form of apiece of chalk but, as before indicated, suchY showing is for the purpose of illustrating the invention only, any suitable means forv presenting oppositely disposed printing surfaces being within the spirit of myinvention., This printingelement l has formed therein, preferably about midway` of' its longitudinal extent, an annular gro-ove 2., Any suitable support may be employed for engaging and supporting the'printing elcment. As here shown, thissupport is in the form of a strip; 5 of suitable material,such as sheet-metal or cardboard, having a. longitudinally extending kerf'G formed therein. Preferably, such kerf has formed at its inner end a somewhat enlarged cut-away portion and at its outer end is shaped to form two jaws 8 and 8, As here shown, the two arms 5 and 5b of the support are so formed that the kerf 6 between them expands slightlyA from its inner to its outer end, the outer surfaces or edges of said arms- 5a, 5b being als-o slightly divergent,l and the parts are so proportioned that, when the printing element 1 is inserted between the jaws 8a, 8b and the jaws are forced into clamping engagementl with the printing element, the outer edges of. the two jaws are parallel. Mounted on the support 5 is a clip 9 preferably formed of a. strip of metal with its ends bent under so as to engage the arms 5. and y5b and with its central portion bent upward as at l'O to form a shoulder which may be employed not only as a handle for adjusting the clip along the support 5, but also to serve as a stop against which the edge of the fabric may be adjusted when fthe device is in use. ln inserting the printing element between the jaws, the clip '9 is positioned as shown in Fig. 2.y The printing element, as a piece of chalk, is then inserted between the jaws with its printing faces projecting above and be low the jaws, and the clip 9 is then slid along the support toward the clamping end thereof, acting to force the jaws into clamping engagement with the printing ele-ment, and by reason of the fact that, when said jaws come intosuch clamping engagement, the outer edges of the arms 5a and 5 are parallel, such clip 9 may be readily slid backward and forward along lthe support without either increasing 'or decreasing the clamping action.

Preferably, there is 'placed upon the surface of one or both of the jaws a scale l1 having marks indicating fractions of, an inch, and the clip 9 by reason of its lon-gitudinal' adjustment along the vjaws is readily placed opposite any one of the indicating lines on the scale, so tliatif it is desired to place the snaps three-fourths of an inch within the edge or any other vdesired distance, the clip may be adjusted to the correspondi-ng line on the scale and the entire row of spots be placed quickly and readily at a uniform'I distance inward from the edge of the fabric.

By reference to Fig. 5, the operation of the device will be readily understood'. The clip being adjusted to the proper position on the scale, the end of the device supporting theprinting element is inserted between two. pieces of fabric with theedge of the overlapping piece of fabric abutting the shoulder l0 on the clip and the operator then places. a thumb or finger on the fabric opposite one face of the printing element and forcing the fabric opposite'the other face against a table, a dress form or the person of the wearer, whereupon the device is partially rotated back and forth as indicated by the arrows inFig. 5. rlihe marker being then renfiovcd, it will be found that two spots have been printed upon the two adjoining faces of the fabric exactly opposite eachother, oneindicating where the ball portion of the snap is to be placed and the other where the socket portion ofthe snap is'to be placed- It willl be readily understood that this. device may be used when it is desired to place any two elements other` than a ball and socket exactlyopposi'te each other. y

It will be at once appreciated that I have provided" an. extremely simple, cheap, and eilicient device whereby two exactly opposite points on two adjoining faces of material may be readily and accurate-ly indicated by printingthereon. It will be further appre ciated that the invention is not `confined to the precise form shown for illustration in the drawings, but that any suitable means of providing printing faces and supporting the same so that they will simultaneously print on two surfaces facing each other are within the scope of the invention, and that while preferably the means for bringing the jaws into clamping engagement and to indicating position onfthe scale are here shown as one element, such need not necessarily be the case.

That is claimed is l. In a snap spot marker, the combination of a printing element having two oppositely disposed printing faces, a pair of clamping jaws supporting said printing element, one of said jaws having a scale thereon, and a slide adjustable along said scale.

2. In a snap spot marker, the combination of means providing two oppositely disposed printing faces, a kerfed member in which said means is supported and a scale adjacent to said kerf, and a slide adjustable along the kerfed member for effecting the opening and closing movements thereof,

3. In a snap spot marker, the combination of two divergent jaws adjustable toward each other and having surfaces parallel when so adjusted, a printing element having two oppositely disposed printing faces and engaged by said jaws, and clamping means slidable along said surfaces for closing the jaws in engagement with said printing element, whereby said clamping means also serve as a gauge.

4. In a snap spot marker, the combination of a strip of material having a kerf therein forming clamping jaws, a printing element having two oppositely disposed printing faces, and means adjustable along the kerfed portion of said strip for clamping said jaws in engagement with said element and furthr adjustable along said jaws after -the latter are closed.

5. In a snap spot marker, the combination of a printing element having two oppositely disposed printing faces, two clamping jaws having divergent surfaces when in open position7 said surfaces being parallel when the jaws are closed in clamping engagement with said printing element and a clamp adjustable along and engaging said surfaces,

whereby said clamp acts to close said jaws and is thereafter adjustable to act as a gauge.

6. In a snap spot marker, the combination of a print-ing element, two clamping jaws one of which has a scale thereon, a slide to force said jaws into clamping engagement with said element, said slide being adjustable along said scale after it has acted to close said jaws on said element.

7. In a snap spot marker, the combination of a printing element, a member provided with a pair of clamping jaws supp0rting said printing element therebetween, a scale on said member, and a combined gauge and indicator adjustable along said scale.

8. In a snap spot marker, the combination of a printing element, clamping jaws supporting said printing element therebetween, a scale, and a combined jaw-clip and indicator adjustable along said jaws and said scale.

9. In a snap spot marker, the combination of a printing element, clamping jaws removably supporting said printing element therebetween, a scale, and a combined jaw-clip, indicator and gauge adjustable along said scale and jaws to close the latter.

10. A device of the character described comprising a. double-faced marker insertable between two plies of fabric for marking spots on opposed surfaces thereof, and a scale supporting said marker whereby the spots may be made at predetermined distances from the edges of the fabric.

l1. A device of the character described comprising a double-faced marker insertable between two plies of fabric for marking spots on opposed surfaces thereof, a kerfed member provided near one extremity with clamping jaws supporting said marker therebetween, said member being provided with a scale whereby the spots may be made at predetermined distances from the edges of the fabric, and a slide adjustable alongthe kerfed portion of said member and con# trolling the opening and closing of said jaws.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

VENA EWIN CARTER. 

